Fashion Week Canceled, Designers Plan Small Showings

By CATHY HORYN

Published: September 16, 2001

AS the tents in Bryant Park were being taken down after the cancellation of Fashion Week, designers on Seventh Avenue quietly made plans to show their spring 2002 collections to a limited number of journalists and store buyers.

''I'm going to show my clothes in an informal working way,'' Calvin Klein said Thursday. A handful of journalists and magazine editors have been invited to his showroom tomorrow, by appointment only, to view the collection, which Mr. Klein will show on a few models. On Tuesday, his showroom will open, as originally planned, for store buyers. Mr. Klein's spring runway show had been scheduled for Friday at 6:00 p.m., the effective end of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Other designers plan to make similar presentations this week. Oscar de la Renta -- who had staff members and models at the tents on Tuesday preparing for his noon show when the Bryant Park venue was closed in the immediate wake of the World Trade Center disaster -- will make a small presentation tomorrow in his showroom.

On Thursday, Michael Kors and Donna Karan will show their clothes, limiting attendance to a few retailers and journalists. Narciso Rodriguez and Douglas Hannant also decided to have presentations that afternoon. Ralph Rucci is showing on Wednesday morning.

''Our collection is finished; we're ready to show it,'' said a spokeswoman for Mr. Kors, noting that magazines, including Vogue, had already asked to see and photograph the clothes because of publication deadlines.

With four of the most prominent American designers going forward with at least informal showings -- much like those the industry had years ago -- a provisional plan to reschedule the 2002 collections in late October now seems in doubt. On Wednesday, 7th on Sixth, which runs the Bryant Park shows, announced that Fashion Week would be postponed until Oct. 22 through 24.

While such a plan sounded reasonable in theory, retailers and designers questioned if it was practical, given that most stores have completed their spring buying by October.

''Why? And who's going to be there other than New York stores and New York press?'' asked Ron Frasch, the president of Bergdorf Goodman. ''Business is tough right now. People don't have double budgets for travel.''

As executives like Mr. Frasch dealt with immediate concerns, like employees who lost family and friends in the disaster, the fashion industry cautiously approached what is one of its busiest times of the year.

Mr. Klein pointed out that his collection would normally go to Milan after New York market week, for international press and buyers, so that by late October sale orders would be completed. He plans to go to Milan himself this season to meet with foreign journalists for the Italian collections, which effectively begin Sept. 24 and run through Oct. 3.

''The idea of doing something as a group here in New York is wonderful, but how does one do it realistically?'' he said. ''I'm not sure. The main reason is to have press to see the clothes.'' But after speaking last Wednesday with his European staff, Mr. Klein said he believed it unlikely that the European journalists would return to New York for more showings after the Paris collections end on Oct. 13.

Mr. Klein added, ''What would be the point of showing my clothes after they've already been sold to stores?''

Mr. Kors and Ms. Karan also have Milan showrooms.

Ralph Lauren, who had been scheduled to present his collection on Thursday, could not be reached for comment. His office was closed until tomorrow. But Ruth Finley, publisher of the Fashion Calendar, which lists trade events, said that Mr. Lauren was planning to show the collection by appointment on Friday.

Fern Mallis, the executive director of 7th on Sixth, said: ''We totally understand if a designer wants to present his collection now. We're here to help people, not to tell anybody what to do with his business.'' She said the October show plan was provisional and would be re-evaluated in the coming days. ''We wouldn't redo what we're doing now,'' she said on Thursday. The cost to put up the tents each season and run the shows is about $4 million. She added that after the Tuesday decision to close the tents, 7th on Sixth had sent 350 cases of Évian, along with fresh food, to emergency workers at the World Trade Center site.

Designers without the marketing resources of Calvin Klein or Michael Kors, and who counted on the shows for advertising and publicity, will be more seriously affected by the cancellation of Fashion Week. A number of designers are based below 14th Street, where traffic is restricted, while others have already invested money in shows, which they may be unable to recoup.

Photo: OUT OF SEASON -- A notice at the main entrance to the tents at Bryant Park announced the cancellation of New York Fashion Week. (Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)